The Nikon FE is an advanced semi-professional level 35mm SLR camera. It is available in two colors: black with chrome trim or all black. The FE uses Nikon’s F lens mount and utilizes all of Nikon’s lens dating back 1959 with the exception of a fisheyes and G Lenses.

The FE is a durable camera easily operating in extreme environment. The SLR uses a TTL center-weighted metering system that makes it ideal for every type of photography. The metering is simple; when on AUTO mode, the camera will select the optimal shutter speed and even though Nikon states its shutter range is the same as its manual, it will actually cover from longer than an hour to 1/4000 of a second! While set to manual mode, the FE will allow you to select both the shutter speed and the aperture independently. But even in manual mode, the camera will show the optimal aperture and shutter speed combinations on the right side of the viewfinder. The green needle will show the selected shutter speed while the black needle will show the optimal exposure settings. All one must do is line up the green and black needles to achieve a perfect exposure.

Tips and Uses

The Nikon FE is reliable work camera. Just mount a fast lens, load your preference in film and you’re good to go. The bright finder makes is easy to capture moving subjects while the exposure system allows for long exposure without any hassle!

Film Loading

Thread the film the usual way into the take-up spool. Close the back and wind ahead. The film speed must be set manually on the dial over the film canister. You can shoot starting and get good results on the second frame after you close the back, before you get to frame 1. You can shoot frame 0 and usually frame 00. Unlike newer cameras like the FE2, the FE doesn't default the shutter speed to a fast fixed speed while loading. The only downside to this is if you leave the lens cap on and the FE set to Auto, in which case the shutter opens indefinitely for a dark time exposure. If you do this, close the shutter by pushing the wind lever forwards to turn off the FE, or rotate the shutter dial to 1/1,000, to keep advancing the film. The frame counter stops counting at 36, although you can keep going as long as you have film.